The Methacton junior fired an even-par 36 on the front nine in absolutely horrible weather conditions during the Pioneer Athletic Conference semifinals. He came back Tuesday afternoon and matched that opening-nine score en route to a 2-over 74 in unseasonably cool temperatures accompanied by occasional wind and late rain during the first round of the District 1 Championships.

One could only wonder what he’d put on his card after a round in the warmth of the sun.

Especially after his career-best score at Turtle Creek.

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“It wasn’t necessarily a good day,” Vance said. “I left a lot of shots out there.”

Nonetheless, PAC-10 individual champion Vance — along with Spring-Ford teammates Bennett Detweiler (75) and Matt Keim (76) — advanced into today’s second and final round that will not only determine a district champion but exactly who moves on into next week’s state regional up at Golden Oaks G.C. in Fleetwood.

Two other Pioneer Athletic Conference representatives, among the 18 that teed it up Tuesday, just missed moving on. Owen J. Roberts’ Jared Faust (78) was one shot below the cut line, and Boyertown’s Lamar Saxon (79) — who drilled his third shot into the cup from 150 yards out on the par-5 18th hole for an eagle — was two shots off. Boyertown teammate Carlo Barrasse, the PAC-10 runner-up, saw his season end following an 8-over 80.

Vance began at the first hole in the shotgun start and promptly bogeyed the 373-yard, par-4 tester. He got that shot back and another at the 349-yard, par-4 seventh. But a bogey on the long ninth hole left him all even going out.

“The bogey (at No. 1) didn’t really bother me because I knew there were still a lot of holes to play,” Vance explained. “I was looking forward to the back nine because I felt there were a couple holes I could birdie. But I struggled with my driver a little. Everything was going left or right.”

Vance didn’t get any birdies, only a pair of bogeys at 12 and 16.

But considering the conditions, which were very much like a week ago, posting a 74 wasn’t all that bad considering it left him in a tie for 10th place — just four shots off the pace set by Radnor sophomore Paul Yun and his solid 2-under 70.

“It was pretty much like it was here last week,” Vance said. “I came prepared. But the greens were different. They were really fast today, but then slowed up near the end because of the rain.”

Detweiler, who won the 2011 PAC-10 title as a sophomore last season, began his round with a birdie at the short dogleg-right 10th. He put together a string of pars and bogeys until his 17h hole of the day — the testy, 516-yard, par-5 — when he birdied. A par at No. 9 closed out his 3-over round, which was five shots better than last year’s debut here.

“I definitely felt confident, and playing with a good friend (Souderton’s Alejandro Velez) helps, too,” Detweiler said. “Anytime you shoot a 75 you have to be happy with that, especially when starting off with a birdie. It gives you a sense of confidence.”

Detweiler, much like Vance, expected the cut to be right around what it ended up being, too.

“I actually thought it would be around 78,” Detweiler said. “That’s (the number) I was shooting for, too. I made a few putts and, fortunately, got below the number. I just approached it like I would any other round. I just took it one shot at a time.”

Keim, a key in the Rams’ drive to the PAC-10 team title last week, started at No. 5. He carded a 39 on the front and came in with a 37 for his 4-over 76.

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In the District 1 Girls Tournament over at Gilbertsville G.C., only Owen J. Roberts’ Laura Hackman (79) and Perkiomen Valley’s Jenny Minnick (81) survived the cut and advanced into today’s final round at Turtle Creek.

In the team scoring, Radnor won the title with a 310, four shots in front of Mount St. Joseph’s. Boyertown (393) and Spring-Ford (401) were a distant fourth and fifth, respectively. Villa Maria won the girls’ Class AA title.

NOTES

Upper Dublin’s Andrew Carber aced the par-3, 191-yard ninth hole, using a 7-iron to record his first hole-in-one. ... One of the more unusual rounds was turned in by C.B. West’s Shawn Ebert, who had seven birdies en route to a 1-over 73. ... The top 30 and ties advanced on the boys side, which will advance its Top 16 into next week’s state regional. ... Other PAC-10 entries and their scores from Tuesday were Methacton’s Mike Foley (83) and Davis Mills (89); Owen J. Roberts’ Ronnie Chester (92), Zach Wintsch (99) and Dylan Gallagher (101); Perkiomen Valley’s Connor Green (84) and Alex Hart (85); Spring-Ford’s Jack Andrews (80), John Foley (80) and Eric Rowell (83); and Upper Perkiomen’s Dan Loose (85) and Austin Bennett (86). ... The PAC-10 girls’ other entries who failed to advance were Boyertown’s Olivia Steinmetz and Emily Gilbert; Spring-Ford’s Danielle Freed and Alyssa Cominsky; and Upper Perkiomen’s Lauren Saylor.

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